CHATTANOOGA, November 19, 1863- 10 a.m.

Everything going on well; preparations actively pushed; bridges all ready. The pontoons will be launched in Big Chickamauga on north of the Tennessee. There are one hundred and forty of them and three large flats which will be filled with troops and land on rebel side. Landing force will be 3,500. Two pontoons bridges will be laid. Landing is to be at daylight. Sherman will be here this morning and his troops to-morrow morning. Rousseau has gone to command District of Nashville, with R. S. Granger, commanding post, under him. R. W. Johnson commands his late division of Fourteenth Corps. D. S. Stanley takes Palmer's late division, Fourth Corps. Warm and smoky.

[C. A. DANA.]

Honorable E. M. STANTON,

Secretary of War.

CHATTANOOGA, November 19, 1863-12 m.

General Dodge reports from Decatur that nothing whatever is being done to repair the railroad between that place and Nashville. He desires to set his men at work upon the unimportant bridges, leaving the larger ones to be built by contractors, but, as the whole is under Anderson's orders, he is unable to touch it. Meanwhile, the army here is suffering for want of forage, and it may be considered as proved that the present railroad, with the rolling stock on it, cannot keep up a sufficient supply. Though Anderson has been in control for three weeks there is now visible increase in the number of cars daily brought through to Bridgeport, the weekly average never exceeding sixty per day. The stock of rations is kept up by the vigorous enforcement of Thomas' order devoting to subsistence 35 cars daily, but other supplies fall short in proportion. The difficulty is not only that there is not rolling stock enough, but the track is so bad that trains constantly run off in spite of every precaution. Besides, there is some reason to fear that it will be practically impossible for one man to conduct the business of both roads, no matter how great his ability.

Now that Sherman is here, with 6,000 animals in addition to the thousands of dilapidated and dying beasts of Thomas' command, the matter is even more serious than it was before.*

[C. A. DANA.]

Honorable E. M. STANTON,

Secretary of War.

CHATTANOOGA, November 20, 1863- 11 a.m.

One brigade of John E. Smith's division, of Sherman's army, crossed the Brown's Ferry bridge just before dark last evening, leaving the other brigades 5 or 6 miles behind in Lookout Valley. They were moved over during the night, and got out of sight on the road to the proposed place of landing, but the operation was performed so slowly

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*Portion here omitted appears in Part I, p. 261.

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